“Vatreno ludilo” by Slaven Bilić’s Band Rawbau - Official Video

Remember we told you Croatia coach Slaven Bilić was penning a Euro 2008 fan anthem with his band Rawbau? Well, we weren’t making it up. Here’s the video for “Vatreno ludilo” (or “Fiery Madness” if you don’t speak Croatian.) And Rawbau means Rough Build, since you ask. Take a look slash listen:

If you’re wondering who Bilić is, he’s not the singer. They don’t let people with that suspicious combo of carefully groomed facial hair and unkempt head hair manage international football teams. The Croatia coach is the guitarist, looking all cool in his aviator shades, and very sensibly not making an ass of himself in front of the faux super-8 camera.

Maybe not the best or most original song you ever heard. Rawbau appear to be very much the Croatian Oasis. But it’s still one of the better tournament team songs in history. And easily the best that was written and performed by the coach.

Here are the “Vatreno ludilo” lyrics, if you want to sing along. In Croatian obvioulsy:

Varteno Ludilo Zajedno smo bili 98.
Svijet je cuo za nas,
I još nam sjaji bronze sjaj,
Kada padali su Japan, Nizozemska, Rumunjska, Njemacka
I sada deset godina posli,
Opet ista nada, Isti imamo san,
Spremam stvari, ruksak, rebe, a na prsima šahovnica, šahovnica, šahovnica,

Vatreno ludilo kad krene, Vatreno,
Sve neka gori kad kroz vene
Crven bijeli plavi krene Crven bijeli plavi krene I sada deset godina posli,
Opet ista nada, Isti imamo san,
Imamo karte, ruksak, rebe, A na prsima šahovnica, šahovnica…

A quarter-successful run through an online translator suggests the lyrics are mostly about how well Croatia did at the 1998 World Cup (semi-finalists) with Bilić on the field, and now it’s ten years later and they’re hoping to achieve something similar. I think. I do know that that last line “šahovnica, šahovnica” refers to the awesome chessboard style coat of arms that forms the basis of the Croatian kit.

UPDATE: Here are the lyrics in English, courtesy of Mario from the Croatia Euro 2008 Blog:

We were together in 98′
World has heard of us
And still the bronze medal shines
When we beat Japan, Holland, Romania, Germany

And now, 10 years later
Again the same hope, same dream
We have the tickets, backpacks, and a crest on our chests (Crest 3x)

Fieeery Madness, when it starts, Fieeery
Let everything burn when through our veins
Red and white starts flowing

But the big question - since it’s a fan anthem - is: can fans sing it? Will Croatian fans be singing “Vaaaaa-treno… Eeeoodelo-kad-krene” on the terraces of Swissaustria and in the streets of (to pick a place at random…) Dubrovnik this summer?

Slaven Bilić is already supercool in my eyes. But if he gets the fans singing his anthem and his team winning games, then we might as well just go ahead and rename the tournament Slaven Bilić 2008.